Edgbaston, one of the oldest areas of Birmingham. It used to be called Celboldestone according to the Domesday book and was originally a gift from William the Conqueuror to a William Fitz-Ansculf.

With it's close proximity to the city centre you could be forgiven for thinking that Edgbaston is a typical urban area with high rise blocks of flats and busy shops. In actual fact, though it does have an urban feel as you near Broad Street, the Edgbaston area is one of the most expensive and desirable locations in Birmingham, reflected in it's property prices with some of it's houses in the leafy glades of it's side roads fetching 1-2 million pounds.

Suprisingly enough it does have its run down areas and its close proximity to the city centre has encouraged prostitution along the busy Hagley Road area. Street crime around Edgbaston Five Ways has also historically been a problem although CCTV which has now been installed may go some way towards solving the problem.

Edgbaston is service industry orientated with some retail outlets. A large new retail outlet is also being built now and will provide further shops and additional recreation facilities. BBC Pebble Mill borders Edgbaston as does the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Edgbaston is internationally known in sporting circles for the Warwickshire County Cricket club and it retains close ties to it's historic educational heritage through links with The University of Birmingham. Many of the private schools are still to be found in this area of the city.

The Edgbaston Reservoir is a prominent landmark on the map of Birmingham and the Botanical Gardens a favourite tourist destination. More recently Edgbaston benefits from the renewal of nearby Broad Street and the Canals and is due to have it's own brand new shopping complex.

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